ALL POSTS TAGGED "[Super Bowl]"

This weekend, MetLife Stadium, located a short distance from New York City, will host the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos in one of the largest sporting events of the year – Super Bowl XLVIII.

Football fanatics and tourists alike will flock to NYC, and even if you’re not one of the lucky fans going to the game, the city is a great place to get your fix of tailgating food favorites – from hot dogs and burgers to pizza and sandwiches, NYC is chock-full of places to eat the day of the big game. To help you choose, we’ve picked out a few of NYC’s best eateries, all of which will be featured in our Food Paradise episodes scheduled to air on Sunday: READ MORE

There are no more “win and in” situations — the NFL Super Bowl is finally set! With just 2 teams left, it’s an all-out war, with each player hoping to make their childhood dream come true — hoisting the Lombardi trophy over their head, and becoming a Super Bowl champion.

With less than a week until Super Bowl XLVIII, and tens of thousands of fans planning to flock to MetLife Stadium for the big game, if you haven’t booked your travel arrangements yet, check out our list of the best discount travel sites, because now is the time to act … and fast! READ MORE

As soon as I got off the elevator at baggage claim, I knew I was in New Orleans and I knew it had to be Super Bowl week. Immediately, I saw 200 limo drivers holding up signs for corporate types and A-list celebs and heard the background music provided by a Second Line band. All this was set to the staccato backbeat of a hundred pairs of 6-inch Loubs scooting across the linoleum floor as the out-of-town party girls made their way to the cars picking them up at the curb.

Super Bowl week is something else. When I got to the hotel at 6 p.m., I saw hundreds of famous faces in the lobby, including my old pal, middle-line-backing legend, Dhani Jones. I got to my room just in time to see the fireworks show over the river. The display is so impressive here in NOLA and as the entire weekend proved, NO ONE does the Super Bowl better than the City of New Orleans. Everything worked — the proximity of the events to each other, the great food and drink, the gracious hosts. Riding elevators with guys like Dr. Harry Edwards, George Seifert, and hundreds of players and former players gave me a swivel-neck ache like no other. I have tons of pics on my Instagram account (@chefaz) and at www.andrewzimmern.com, so go check it out.

Night one was all about eating. I went to August, and John Besh, Michael and Emily and their entire team cooked a meal for the record books: Three hours of insane chow celebrating all the flavors of NOLA, with a stunning array of oysters, crawfish and pastas crushed under the weight of sliced truffles and game meats. Plus, watching Aaron Sanchez get mobbed by fans, Packers great Clay Matthews have a Jerry Maguire-style dinner with his agent and Jeremy Piven work the room was a lot of the fun for sure. My pals swore they spotted reclusive super-agent and entertainment mogul Andrew Chason. Not sure I buy it.

Friday was all about the Let’s Kick Hunger Campaign for Taste of the NFL (make your reservations now for next year in New York City!). I spoke on hunger relief awareness issues at the Earl Morrall breakfast in a room filled with a hundred Hall of Famers, including most of the undefeated 1972 Dolphins team that Morral helped lead to Super Bowl glory. Mallory Hagan, our new Miss America, was my co-host for many Taste events all weekend … I have a pretty good job most days! I broke off for an hour to do the Dan Patrick show on Direct TV and make some etouffee, then Miss America and I took a slew of press and corporate execs out to Second Harvest food bank for a walkthrough and awareness-raising event, which couldn’t have been better. I spent a few hours in the NFL Media Center doing interviews and then got to spend some time with Patrick Warburton and Dhani Jones before rushing off to the Friday Night Huddle for Taste of the NFL and then to the Artie Lange show. Artie is a great guy, and hanging out with him and Joe Buck talking baseball was way cool. I cooked some Asian street food and then hit the showers before heading over to the first party of the night, the Playboy event at the old Jax Brewery.

A word about the scene here. The weekend can be divided into several layers: first there are the fans — they get tons of access depending on what they choose to buy into. I wanted to hit the NFL Experience but couldn’t get in … that’s a fan event. Then there are the celebs, tiered in A, B and C lists. We get invited to parties, to host events, do media interviews and participate in sponsor activations. Like restaurant health department grades, the better your letter, the better your fun quotient and … most importantly … the better your access at events. Then there are the players and the NFL execs. They attend anything they damn well please. It’s the Super Bowl! It’s their celebration. Then there are the sponsors. They run everything and make the rules. It’s always good to know the law of the jungle before you put on your pith helmet. The sponsors here create mega events: Questlove spinning with Jay Z and Justin Timberlake at the Direct TV SuperSaturdayNight, Stevie Wonder at the Bud Party, Lil Wayne at GQ, Cee-lo helmed the ESPN event, and so on.

Friday night at 11 I showed up at the Playboy party. Wow. Yes it was what you would expect: music thumping, booty-bumping, crab-cake-lumping … crazy crazy. Food by Besh, lots of great music and hanging out in small roped-off areas shouting at your friends who are 4 inches from you. Lots of networking, and fending off the Playmates … the girls all try to collect as many middle-aged, devilishly cherubic food dudes as they can. Just sayin’. By 3 a.m., I was sipping Café au Lait and eating beignets at Café du Monde with drunk street urchins, shifty grifters, cops, Lorena Garcia and crazy fans leaving bars in the French Quarter. By 4 a.m. I was in bed … wondering what the heck the next day would look like and if I would survive it.

Saturday morning I did some press and the concert at the Beach Bowl. It was amazing. Direct TV built the coolest super-tent and created a campus of buildings for all their parties and events. I went to the tailgate, then to the blue carpet. I am a mid-level B-list cable TV guy … I am so lucky, no complaints here. Any other day of year I am a “someone,” but not today. I felt about 2 inches tall as I had to explain who I am to hundreds of media gathered to talk to Snoop, Neil Patrick Harris, Neon Deion, Strahan, Toomer, Menounos, Palmer, Moon, Lolo Jones and the dozens of big deals assembled for this event. Getting taken down a peg is good for your spiritual development, and it puts things in perspective — I feel more grateful than I have in months. My agents and managers looked crushed that I got so little love, but I was thrilled — I got to walk the carpet with my idols!

I spent all afternoon and evening at Taste of the NFL, bussing it over to the Convention Center with 40 Hall of Famers and a dozen active players, which was the best hour of the weekend. We hit the floor and I checked in with one of my mentors, Wayne Kostroski — the Taste founder and a James Beard Humanitarian Award winner. I adore this man. What he has done to fight hunger in this country is epic. We raised tons of dough and as a topper, we get a $125,000 check from Party City. That will multiply 8 to 1 in the food bank world and create a million meals. I cried a little. In the middle of the fundraiser, we learned that several attendees got nominated to the Hall of Fame. Greatness. Lem Barney just kept saying the word “LOVE” over and over all night long. The greatest generation for sure.

By 10 I had to head to the Direct TV party zone for the concert. I was not prepared for what was inside. They took out the Beach Bowl field –including all the sand and bleachers — and created a nightclub in its place … in just 4 hours. There were erotic dancers, oysters and champagne, an A+ list crowd and Questlove killed it. Timberlake came out with a 20-piece orchestra after a 5-year performance hiatus and wowed the crowd … his cover of Michael Jackson’s “Shake” was EPIC. Jay Z appeared and all hell broke loose. Will Ferrell was in the parking lot as I left and took time to sign an autograph for our driver and make us laugh with some signature ribaldry. We checked out the GQ party with Lil’ Wayne and the Stevie Wonder party that Bud Light threw, then went off to the Ogden Museum for the final stop of the night. It was 4 a.m. before I got back home.

On Sunday morning I was up and at ‘em for a series of conference calls and then off to the game. Alicia Keys had a 6-car entourage leaving our hotel and 8 motorcycle cops in escort as she whipped her way down Poydras Street. The game was amazing: Beyonce amazed at halftime, Destiny’s Child had their reunion, the game came down to the wire and we raced out after Baltimore cemented the victory. CONGRATS BALTIMORE! We hit the private party that John Besh threw at Borgne and scarfed down some of the best chow of the weekend, complete with superb shrimp and grits and a crawfish boil.

What did I learn? Well, one thing is for sure: New Orleans is a city with the biggest heart, the most gracious hospitality and unforgettable, soulful food, and they know how to throw a party. The Crescent City never felt better. As I walked into Loews Hotel, the doorman asked me how my weekend was. I told him, and he said, “If you liked Super Bowl week, you ‘oughta check out Mardi Gras next weekend … it’s even better.” And having been here for that celebration, he’s right. That’s the kind of city this is: without peer.

Football fans unite! The big game is heading to The Big Easy, where 2 of the most dominant defenses in the last decade are set to square off. The culmination of the 2012-2013 NFL season comes down to one final game between the San Francisco 49ers, led by head coach Jim Harbaugh, and the Baltimore Ravens, led by Jim’s brother, head coach John Harbaugh. In a game that’s being dubbed “The Har-Bowl,” football’s biggest stage is set, and you better believe N’awlins will be hoppin’ more than NOLA’s Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest.

New Orleans may be the destination for the big game, but these 2 teams hail from opposite ends of the country. And although the Lombardi trophy may be the ultimate prize for winning the Super Bowl — both San Francisco and Baltimore are filled with plenty of prized attractions.

From the National Aquarium, to the Sports Legends Museum, to delicious food in Little Italy, Baltimore is so much more than just a football town. Check out some of our picks for the best things to see and do in our Baltimore travel guide.

Don’t worry — we’ve got you covered if you’re looking for fun in San Francisco. The City by the Bay is a foggy wonderland of attractions that include the Painted Ladies in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, Ghirardelli Square, and Golden Gate Bridge.

And don’t forget about the delicious Creole cooking featured in our New Orleans travel guide for those of you who’ve made your way to the Crescent City. Cafe du Monde is still serving up the best beignets you’ve ever tasted, and Cochon is still dishing out some of the city’s tastiest traditional Cajun delights.

If you were lucky enough to score tickets to the big game, we’re sure you’ll need a few recommendations on where to go for the perfect place to tailgate or where to find the best spirits and best sports bars in New Orleans. Travel Channel’s got what you need to get you ready for one heck of a Super Bowl.

Tonight on Super Bowl Tailgate Takeover at 9|8c, Adam Richman heads to New Orleans, home to Super Bowl XLVII. The special will also showcase tailgating at its finest, as witnessed by Texas Texan fans in Houston, Miami Dolphin fans in Miami, New York Giants fans in New Jersey and more!

This week, Super Bowl XLVII officially kicks off and Travel Channel is celebrating the only way we know how: We’re crisscrossing the United States looking to trick out someone’s tailgate experience on Super Bowl Tailgate Takeover premiering Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 9|8c. Our very own Adam Richman (Man v. Food, Best Sandwich in America), alongside his team of tailgate techs, will post up in New Orleans to build 2 of the biggest, most incredible NFL tailgate rigs in honor of this year’s Super Bowl.

From massive 90-inch, 3D swivel-mounted TVs, to the biggest grills ever to char a steak — and a giant custom smoker that needs a truck to pull it — Adam presents an unbelievable assortment of game-day gadgets, fun games, big toys, custom decorations and everything else needed to enjoy the tailgate in style. In addition, Adam invites former players to share their tailgating tips, recipes and traditions … and they even help Adam put some finishing touches on the ultimate tailgating rigs!

Planning a trip to New Orleans for the weekend? See our Super Bowl Travel Guide full of everything New Orleans, including: Taste of New Orleans, New Orleans Weekend Guide, Where to Escape Super Bowl Crowds in New Orleans and much more!

Are you ready for some football? Well, specifically are you ready for Super Bowl XLVI, and the matchup between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. Football fans have already converged on Indianapolis’s Lucas Oil Stadium for a few days of fun festivities. And we’re sure there are several fans anxious to see Madonna’s half-time show and Kelly Clarkson perform “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Betting pools have already started to see if Clarkson will forget the words to the national anthem, at the biggest sports event of the year.

Well, in preparation for the big day, TravelChannel.com has a few fun articles and slideshows you should definitely take a look at, including our Super Travel Bowl 2012 slideshow. Compare Boston with NYC and decide which city should walk away with a travel trophy.

Bob Cook’s streak of attending every Super Bowl game ended Sunday after he fell ill last Thursday and ended up in the hospital, where he remains in serious condition.

But the streak for his family remains in force, thanks to some creative crisis travel management by his wife, Sarah, and daughter Kylie.

Cook had received a lot of press in the weeks before Super Bowl XVL as one of 4 men who had attended every Super Bowl game. We posted a story about it last week. The others, Don Crisman, Tom Henschel and Larry Jacobson, made it to Dallas on Sunday to watch the Packers beat the Steelers and extend their Super Bowl streak to 45. READ MORE

Football fans whose flights had been canceled scrambled Saturday to get to Dallas for Super Bowl XLV, while those already in town were dealing with frigid temperatures and over 5 inches of snow — twice Dallas’ annual average.

A fresh blast of snow and ice canceled hundreds of flights Friday, snarled highways and caused dangerous sheets of ice to cascade from the domed roof of Cowboys Stadium. The falling ice injured 6 workers hired by the NFL to prepare the stadium, though none of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

The problems in the Dallas-Forth Worth area capped off one of the worst weeks of winter weather in US history. To see how this week’s storm compared to some of the nastiest ever recorded, check out our Worst US Blizzards photo slideshow. And if you’d like to reminisce about a time when NFL championships were actually played outside in the “frozen tundra,” don’t miss our Life of Lombardi feature.